Taking Potassium Daily Reduces Blood Pressure

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health reported that potassium supplements reduced systolic pressure (the first number of a blood pressure reading) by an average of 3.11 millimeters of mercury and the diastolic reading by 1.97 millimeters.

Even a small amount of potassium may help forestall the onset of high blood pressure, especially in people who have trouble reducing their salt intake, said Dr. Paul K. Whelton.

WEIGHT LOSS RISKS BONE LOSS

Elderly women who lose weight when they don't intend to have a significantly increased risk of breaking bones, including hips, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A long-term study of 6,754 women aged 65 years and older found that women who lost 10 percent of their weight had a 32 percent increased risk of fractures, said Dr. Kristine E. Ensrud of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Women who lost weight on purpose did not appear to run an increased risk of fractures. Body weight is linked to bone mineral density.

TRENDS IN MARROW TRANSPLANTS

While the jury is still out on the long-term effectiveness of bone marrow transplant therapy, the procedure is most commonly used to treat breast cancer patients.

A survey of the nation's Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry, which includes 170 transplant centers, shows that most patients use their own cells to replenish their marrow that is destroyed during radiation or chemotherapy.

Another trend is the use of blood stem cells instead of bone marrow. Stem cells are capable of rebuilding blood cells in the marrow. The success rate of autologus transplants is higher when breast cancer is treated in the earlier stages.

TOUGH ROAD FOR BOOBIES

Sibling rivalry is carried to extremes by the masked booby, a seabird that lives and breeds in tropical oceans. Parent masked boobies encourage their off-spring to fight each other to the death, scientists have found.

"When you have more young in a brood than you can care for well, it may pay to pare off some young," said David Anderson, a biologist at Wake Forest University who has studied masked boobies. "These findings are an extreme example from nature on that point."